


My Elfling

by timelordvictorious1



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Caring Thranduil, Drinking to Cope, Emotional Constipation, Father-Son Relationship, Galion is the MVP, Gen, Good Parent Thranduil, Overprotective Thranduil, Parent Thranduil, Parenthood, Protective Thranduil, Rebellious Legolas, Thranduil Not Being An Asshole, Thranduil's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23802325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelordvictorious1/pseuds/timelordvictorious1
Summary: Legolas volunteers to join the forest patrol of Greenwood the Great. Thranduil is not ready to let go of his elfling. Angst ensues.
Relationships: Legolas Greenleaf & Thranduil
Comments: 15
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

Thranduil rubbed his eyes. He had been working since well before sunup and his eyes were just about starting to lose focus. Every once in a while, there were days where he had little to no paperwork to do and he could spend the day doing whatever he wanted. Other days, the work he had to do increased exponentially as the day went on. It seemed to him that the days where he had time to do as he wanted were becoming fewer and far inbetween as the years went by. The forest was growing darker and darker by the day, and it needed Thranduil more now than ever. Every patrol, every guard, every single part of the Greenwood’s line of defense against the darkness needed to be personally approved by him.   
  


When Oropher was still alive, Thranduil had been expected to share in the responsibilities of running the kingdom. It wasn’t uncommon in those times to find father and son working diligently, side by side, in their shared study. Ideally, Thranduil’s son and heir would share in the responsibilities with him, just like he had done for his father. Thranduil, however, was loath to place that burden on Legolas. In Thranduil’s opinion, running a kingdom—especially the paperwork, stress, worry, and grief it entailed—was nigh on torturous, and that was one thing he’d spare his son as much as he could. 

Thranduil was lost in thought when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Feren, one of Thranduil’s oldest friends and the highest ranking general in the army, walked in and bowed in deference.

“Good morning, Feren. What can I do for you?”

“Morning? What are you talking about? It’s very nearly time for dinner,” replied the general with a chuckle.

“Is it really?”

Thranduil looked around his windowless study. It wasn’t possible that it was dinnertime. He had gotten little work done; certainly not enough to suggest that he’d been working from sunup to sundown without so much as a break. He was about to call Feren out for lying to him when he realized the candles at the corners of his desk were a lot shorter than they’d been when he started working in the morning.

“It can’t be night already. I haven’t gotten any work done,” he said as he rubbed the newfound tiredness from his face.

“I’m sorry to add to your labors, but I’ve brought you the petitions from new volunteers for the patrols of the forest. These are the top candidates. They need to be looked through and given your approval. Or I can give them the approval myself, if you’d like.” Feren already knew what Thranduil’s response would be. Forest patrol duty had become the most dangerous occupation in all of Eryn Galen; Thranduil insisted on vetting every potential patrol guard himself before letting them join.

“No. I’ll do it,” responded Thranuil as he stretched his arm out to take the stack of parchments from Feren. 

“I know you’re tired. Just leave them until tomorrow,” Feren said as he handed them to Thranduil and started walking out of the room as fast as he could.

“Wait!” yelled Thranduil before Feren could make a clean getaway. 

“Yes?” asked Feren, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. 

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you running away?” Thranduil immediately grew suspicious of the stack of parchments that Feren had handed to him. Whatever was in them was something that Feren knew would upset Thranduil. He began searching through them until he came across the offending sheet of parchment. It was—very conveniently—the very last sheet of parchment in the stack.

Feren sighed. There was no pulling the wool over Thranduil’s eyes, ever.

“What is the meaning of this?” asked Thranduil as shock crossed his face. At the very top of the sheet he read “Legolas Thranduilion”, followed by his age, height, weight, and weapon of choice.

What is the meaning of this?” he yelled.

Feren was tongue-tied. He had desperately wished to not be present when Thranduil’s inevitable explosion came, but nothing is ever the way one plans it. Luckily for him, Thranduil made no mention of his attempted deception. Thranduil was much too furious to care about that.

Thranduil marched out of his study with the parchment tightly clenched in his hand. Whatever mixture of exhaustion and frustration he was feeling before was replaced with one single emotion: rage. There were a scarce few times in his long life that he’d felt rage on that same level. He wasn’t thinking about where he was walking; he was too angry to think. His legs just instinctively took him to Legolas’ room and barged in without knocking.

“Legolas?” he yelled. There was no answer. “Legolas?” Again, there was no answer. Thranduil’s anger kicked up a notch when he realized Legolas wasn’t in his room. After a couple of seconds of fuming, he remembered that Feren had mentioned it was dinnertime. It occurred to him that Legolas might have already been waiting for him in the dining room, so he fumed his way there. Amazingly, he was able to form a single, coherent thought through all his anger. He decided to dismiss all the guards on duty in the royal wing of the palace. Thranduil didn’t want them to hear him yelling; and he fully intended to harness the full power of his voice to come down on Legolas.

Thranduil made sure the guards were gone before he continued with his plan. He stood outside the dining room, trying to control his rage. If he let it get any more out of control, his carefully constructed glamour would falter and his facial scars would be visible for everyone to see. He took a couple of deep breaths and marshalled all of his savage anger into a single, calculated rage.


	2. Chapter 2

Legolas knew what was going on the moment he saw his father. Thranduil was angrier than Legolas had ever seen before. Legolas rose from the dining table to try and calm him down but was interrupted before he could even form a single syllable. 

“What were you thinking, Legolas?”

“Ada! Please, I can explain!”

“No! The time for explanations was before you volunteered. Needless to say that you have been denied!”

Feren, who had been standing behind Thranduil, took that as his cue to step in. “Thranduil, let him explain. There’s a good explanation for all of this. Just give him a chance!”

Thranduil was mildly shocked to hear Feren speak up. He hadn’t even noticed that Feren had followed him from his study. 

“Leave us, Feren.”

Feren tried to interject before he was silenced by Thranduil.

“Leave us. That is an order”

Thranduil’s voice left no room for argument. Feren walked out silently, worried that either Thranduil or Legolas, or maybe both of them, would do or say something they’d regret.

“I don’t want to hear it, Legolas. You betrayed my trust. You hid this from me!”

“Ada! I was going to tell you tonight! That’s why Feren told you to wait until tomorrow. Ask him if you don’t believe me!”

“Why did you volunteer without telling me? This wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, Legolas. I’m sure you’ve been planning this for some time, and you didn’t even think to mention it to me or ask for permission?”

Legolas had been doing a pretty good job of keeping calm until that moment. “I’m past my majority! I don’t need your permission for anything!”

Thranduil felt his anger surge enough for his glamour to fade. He turned to face away from Legolas, not only to hide his anger and scars, but his disappointment as well. He took several deep breaths and calmed himself enough for the glamour to restore itself before turning around. “Then let’s see how far you get in life without it,” he spat venomously.

Galion walked in right at that moment, completely unsurprised that they were arguing. “What’s going on? Why are you fighting?” he asked them both.

“Have you been eavesdropping?” Thranduil asked icily.

“Why would I need to eavesdrop? I heard both of you yelling from all the way in the kitchens. If you don’t want anyone to listen to your conversations, I suggest you both learn to speak in a civilised manner.”

Thranduil rolled his eyes and began walking out of the dining room, but something stopped him. “Oh! I almost forgot, Legolas. This is what I think of your petition to join the guards,” he said as he tore the piece of parchment into dozens of little pieces and threw them on the floor. He resumed to walk to his room but not before slamming the dining room door behind him. There was no more to say to Legolas and he wasn’t in the mood for any more of Galion’s impertinence. He walked to his room, slammed the door shut, and locked it. He was sure that Legolas would come crawling on his knees, pleading for forgiveness; he relished in the thought that Legolas would be met with a securely locked door.

Similarly, Legolas stormed into his room and slammed the door shut. He had no doubt that Thranduil would regret yelling at him, realize how unreasonable he was being, and come begging for forgiveness.

Both of them were wrong.

When Thranduil heard someone knocking on his door; he was sure it’d be Legolas. He smirked in triumph; he knew it was only a matter of time. “I’ve said all I will say on this matter, Legolas!” he yelled at the door. It was a complete shock to his system when Galion’s voice, not Legolas’, spoke from the other side.

“Thranduil! Open up! It’s me, not Legolas.”

“I’d like to be alone!”

“Open up or I’ll fetch my keys!”

Thranduil had forgotten that Galion had a set of keys to every single door in the palace and had no doubt that he would indeed retrieve his keys if need be. Thranduil unlocked the door, quickly pulled him inside, and locked the door again, just in case Legolas decided to pick that moment to apologize.

Galion set the dinner tray he was carrying on a small table. “Sit down and eat your dinner. You haven’t eaten all day.”

“I’m not hungry,” growled Thranduil.

“I know what you’d like right now. There is a bottle of Dorwinion waiting just outside the door. If you eat your dinner, you can have it. If you don’t, then you can just drink water,” said Galion smugly.

Thranduil hated that Galion knew him so well. He mulled it over for a second. He wasn’t all that hungry but the promise of wine clouded his judgement.

“Fine,” he said as he sat down to eat. “Fetch the wine!” 

Galion did as he was told and retrieved the wine he had hidden outside. He came back in with two bottles and two goblets.

Galion filled both goblets with wine and took a seat next to Thranduil. Thranduil snatched one of the goblets from Galion’s hand and downed its contents in a single gulp.

“Don’t even think that you’re getting another glass. You haven’t eaten anything.”

Thranduil began eating his dinner reluctantly.

“Take your time. Because when you’re done, you’re going to explain to me exactly what happened between the two of you,” said Galion as he refilled Thranduil’s goblet.

  
  


Thranduil took a deep breath. He had already finished his dinner and had already gone through more than half of the first bottle of wine when he began recounting the whole evening’s events to Galion. 

Galion sat quietly, keeping his thoughts to himself and only offering the occasional nod. It didn’t surprise him that Thranduil and Legolas were at odds once again. Ever since Legolas had reached adolescence, their arguments had grown more frequent and more heated. Lately, hardly a month went by without one of their discussions devolving into a screaming match, but this one seemed worse than all the ones that had preceded it.

“What do you think, _mellon_?” asked Thranduil nervously when he finished the story.

“I think he should have told you.”

Thranduil was surprised to hear Galion agree with him. Galion almost always took Legolas’ side.

“But I think you could have handled it better. Legolas is no longer an elfling. He needs to be allowed to make his own choices. And if his choice is to defend his homeland and his people, I can't fault him for that,” he continued.

“What do you mean he’s ‘no longer an elfling’? He’s just barely past majority, and he’s always going to be my elfling! No matter what age he is!”

Galion finally understood what Thranduil’s anger was about. He knew Thranduil wasn’t so unreasonable as to not believe Legolas’ explanation. It was fear that made Thranduil react so violently. Galion knew why all patrol guards were volunteers and why the guard was always in need of volunteers. Thranduil didn’t send anyone on patrol who didn’t want to go because he’d essentially be signing their death warrant and sending them to their deaths. And that was the job that Legolas had volunteered for.

“I understand, Thranduil. Do you want to be alone?”

“Yes, please,” he replied almost inaudibly. “Leave the wine, though.”

Galion knew full well that both bottles of wine would be emptied before the night was out. He took the dinner tray with him and left Thranduil alone with his thoughts and the wine bottles. 

Galion took a dinner tray to Legolas’ room after he finished with Thranduil. Galion didn’t know what reaction he’d get from Legolas; it was a lot harder for him to predict Legolas’ moods than it was for him to predict Thranduil’s. Legolas didn’t answer the first or the second time that Galion knocked. Sometimes, the similarity between father and son astounded even Galion.

“Legolas! Please open up! I brought you dinner.”

Legolas did not respond. Galion knew he’d have to resort to threats, just like he did with Thranduil.

“Legolas, if you don’t open this door, I’m going to get my keys and open it myself! It’s ok if you don’t want to talk to me. Just take your dinner and I’ll go.”

Galion was about to walk away when he heard the door unlocking. Legolas opened the door, took the tray, and slammed the door shut again. Galion knocked on the door again.

“You said I didn’t have to talk to you!” yelled Legolas.

“No wonder they don’t get along. They’re too alike for their own good,” thought Galion as he walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

Legolas and Thranduil’s acrimony continued for over a month. They didn’t speak to each other or see each other in the interim. They both ate their meals in their rooms, not wanting to risk running into the other. Galion didn’t like it when Thranduil ate in his room because he always drank more than enough wine when Legolas was not around. So far, he’d been averaging almost two bottles a night.

The tension between them was driving everyone else crazy. Everyone was forced to walk on eggshells when either of them was around; just the mention of one of their names was enough to anger the other one. Thranduil was considered difficult at the best of times, but that whole month was a nightmare for anyone around him. 

Neither of them helped ameliorate the situation. In fact, they were both becoming experts on how to aggravate one another. Legolas tried to go riding one day, only to find out that Thranduil had explicitly ordered the guards to not let him out of the palace for any reason. Legolas knew it was payback for saying that he didn’t need Thranduil’s permission for anything. Legolas also knew that it was Thranduil’s strategy to get him to make the first move and confront his father. The doors of the palace opened and closed at Thranduil’s whim, so Legolas would have to find another way. Legolas remembered there was an exit near the kitchens that would be easy enough to get out through. Once he was out, he had forgotten all about going riding; he was focussed solely on getting back at his father.

Legolas made sure to muddy his boots as much as physically possible, to make it obvious that he had managed to get out. Before entering the palace, he took his boots off, and walked back to the royal wing barefoot. Luckily for him, his father would still be working in his study. He left his boots just inside Thranduil’s room, where he was sure they’d be seen. Legolas lamented that he wasn’t able to see Thranduil’s reaction, but revelled in the fact that he was most definitely able to hear the moment when Thranduil found the soiled boots on his floor. Legolas spent the rest of the day congratulating himself for such a successful plan. Thranduil, in retaliation for Legolas’ insubordination, tightened his grip. He ordered the guards to keep him confined to the royal wing of the palace. Needless to say, Legolas was extremely displeased, and he made his displeasure known.

Neither Galion nor anyone else could take it anymore. He hadn’t tried talking to Legolas about the disagreement since that night, but for his sake and everyone else’s, he’d have to give it another go. Since Legolas wasn’t allowed out, it was pretty easy for Galion to find him.

Legolas had been in the library all day. He thanked his lucky stars that he at least had access to the library. Had he not been able to read during his month-long confinement, he was sure he would have gone insane. Still, there was only so much reading he could do in a month before going stir-crazy, and he was just about reaching his breaking point. Galion walked into the library, disturbing Legolas’ peace and quiet, and settled himself on a chair across from Legolas.

“Legolas, how long do you plan to keep this up?”

Legolas rolled his eyes at Galion.

“He can stop this anytime he wishes,” Legolas replied coolly.

“Yes, he can. But so can you.”

“You expect me to grovel at his feet? While he keeps me prisoner? You must be joking!”

“Can’t you admit that you went about it the wrong way? If you had given him time, I’m sure he would have come around. Go talk to him, Legolas. He’s ready to forgive you, and I know you’d like this punishment lifted.”

“He still won’t let me join the patrol. I’m not an elfling anymore, Galion. I’m an adult. I reached my majority months ago and he still treats me like a child!”

“I agree with you wholeheartedly. But he is the King and he has final say over the patrol whether you like it or not. Go to him and ask for forgiveness. Once this has blown over in a month or so, I will broach the subject with him. I’m sure Feren and I can bring him round. You just have to give him time. The longer you let this argument fester, the harder it will be for us to persuade him.”

During his month-long imprisonment, Legolas had time to think about the whole ordeal. He still didn’t think he was wrong. He wanted to join the patrol and no one would be able to dissuade him, but there was one thing that he would have changed. He would have changed the way he broke the news to his father. Everything might have been different if he had just been upfront about it.

Legolas sat quietly, weighing his options. It seemed to him that Galion was indeed offering him the best option. Anything else would have made things worse. “You’re right. I didn’t do things properly, and that’s what’s caused this whole thing. I’ll apologize to him. Do you really think you’ll be able to convince him to let me join?”

“I believe we can,” responded Galion with a big smile. He wasn’t very confident of the plan, but he would have said anything to help the feuding royals mend their relationship.

Galion and Legolas made their way to Thranduil’s study. Every single guard they passed gave Galion an approving nod as they walked by. Galion knocked on the door.

“Come in!” they heard Thranduil yell. As he walked in, Galion motioned for Legolas to stay put.

“Do you have a couple of minutes to spare?” he asked Thranduil.

“Not really. What is it?”

Legolas took that as his cue to walk in. He bowed before Thranduil and began to speak, “Ada—”

Before Legolas could finish speaking, Thranduil jumped out of his chair, walked towards Legolas, and hugged him as tightly as his arms would allow.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

The reunion was easier than Galion had anticipated. Apparently, Thranduil and Legolas were both dying to make up; it was just that neither of them wanted to be the one who made the first move.  
“Typical!” thought Galion.  
They spent several minutes locked in a tight embrace before either of them spoke.

Legolas began to speak while still locked in Thranduil’s embrace, “Ada, I wanted to say that I’m sorry—-”

“Shhh, my little leaf. It’s ok. I know I was wrong, and I’m sorry,” replied Thranduil and he ran his hands through Legolas’ long hair. He couldn’t help but remember when Legolas was first born and his hair was practically nonexistent.  
“I have a meeting with the leader of the raft-elves. Would you like to come with me?” Thranduil asked sweetly.

“She’s not coming to you?”

“I said I’d meet with her at the settlement. To be honest, I just wanted an excuse to go out for a ride. And I know you’ve been wanting to go riding for some time,” replied Thranduil with a mischievous smile.

“I do want to go, ada!”  
Legolas deeply missed being able to go into the woods. He was a wood elf afterall, and being kept away from the woods—even for a month—felt like an eternity to him.

“Are you coming with us, Galion?” asked Thranduil.

Galion was sceptical. He didn’t love riding and he had a lot to do, but he still needed to keep an eye on them. Although they'd seemingly made up, he knew Legolas would not be pleased until Thranduil approved of his petition, and even an offhand comment could break their tenuous reunion.  
“I’d love to!”

Thranduil and Legolas walked out of the study with smiles on their faces, a sight that made even the most austere guards breathe a deep sigh of relief. The worst was over, and they all knew it.

Thranduil didn’t know what he had enjoyed the most that day: the reconciliation with his son, the ride to the raft-elves’ settlement or the fact that he got to spend some quality time with Legolas. The past month had been one of the hardest of his entire life. He didn’t like being estranged from his only child, but his fear of losing Legolas made him act irrationally and caused him make stupid decisions that he always regretted. The meeting with the raft-elves was as boring and uneventful as always, but having Legolas with him made it all worthwhile. Thranduil was actually quite impressed with Legolas. Legolas had sat in on the meeting and remained attentive and interested throughout the entire duration. Thranduil hoped that Legolas’ curiosity had been piqued enough for him to take an interest in running the kingdom. It wasn’t ideal, but it was definitely better than sending him off into danger.

Everyone slept peacefully that night. Thranduil was happy that he and Legolas had finally made their peace. Legolas was happy because not only would things go back to normal, but because Galion would be helping him to get what he wanted. And Galion was happy that he no longer had to go to bed dreading the next day.  
For a brief moment the next morning, Galion worried that he had dreamt the entire reconciliation. His fears were quickly assuaged when he took them their breakfast. He walked into the dining room to find Legolas and Thranduil sitting across from each other in companionable silence.

“Good morning, Galion. Sit down and have breakfast with us,” said Thranduil pleasantly. To say that Galion was shocked at the invitation would be a gross understatement. Thranduil seemed to be in the best mood that Galion had ever seen in the thousands of years that he’d served him. Galion accepted Thranduil’s invitation; it was too good a chance to pass up.

“What are your plans today, tithen las?” asked Thranduil.

“I don’t have any yet, ada.”

“I thought you’d like to help me with my work today. And if we finish early, we can go riding, just the two of us.”

Legolas hesitated. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in an office for the rest of his life, but it was crucial to keep his father happy. He saw Galion out of the corner of his eye, who was subtly signalling for him to agree.

“I’d like that, ada. Please excuse me, I have a couple things to do and then I’ll meet you in your study,” he replied pleasantly before giving Thranduil a kiss on the cheek. Before exiting the dining room, he signalled to Galion to talk to his father.

“See that, Galion. I think he’s finally going to want to take on some responsibilities. If it weren’t so early in the day, I’d ask for some sparkling wine to celebrate!”

“I thought you didn’t want to place the burden of the kingdom on his shoulders.”

“I don’t. But I prefer to have him here, where he’s safe, than out there in grave peril. And besides, you should have seen him with the raft-elves yesterday. He was so interested and kind. I think he’ll do a good job. I think he was meant for this.”

Galion didn’t respond. It was imperative to not press the issue too much; that wouldn’t help Legolas’ cause. They’d have to pick their moment if they wanted to succeed.

Legolas knew he had to do as Galion had done and not force Thranduil into a conversation he wasn’t ready to have. He almost brought the subject up to his father about a thousand times in the following month, but chickened out every time. Galion had advised Legolas to leave it to him; he didn’t want to risk another argument between Legolas and Thranduil.  
For the next month Legolas bided his time, familiarizing himself with the never ending tedium that filled his father’s life. He really didn’t know how Thranduil did it day in and day out. It was as monotonous as it was difficult and stress-inducing. Any more of it and he was sure his head would explode. He contrived a meeting with Galion to discuss his progress.

“Have you talked to him about it? I’ll go mad if I have to do this much longer!”

Galion could tell that Legolas was at his wits’ end. As a child, Legolas had always hated his lessons, always choosing to do something outdoors when he had the option. It made perfect sense that he preferred to be out on patrol instead of being cooped up inside.

Galion knew he would have to be the one to talk sense into Thranduil, preferably without Legolas in the room. If Legolas tried doing it, they would surely end up falling out again. The worst that could happen to him was receiving an earful and a week of icy glares; both of which he could more than handle.  
“I’ll talk to him tonight, Legolas. I’ll eat dinner with both of you. You’re going to excuse yourself from the table and I’ll broach the subject after you’re gone. It’d be best if you could invite Feren to dinner. That way it’s two against one.”

“Consider it done. I’ll go see him right now,” replied Legolas with a big smile on his face. He was lucky that Galion and Feren were both on his side. He was excited to finally be within sight of his goal.

Legolas talked to Feren and informed him of the plan. The stage was set for one of the most important moments of Legolas’ life.


	5. Chapter 5

Legolas, Galion, and Feren were already seated when Thranduil walked in. 

“To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?” asked Thranduil.

“I invited them, ada. I wanted to surprise you.”

“That was very thoughtful of you,  _ tithen las _ ,” responded Thranduil with a big smile. He greeted his friends; he loved having them over for dinner. Galion was a frequent dinner companion, but Feren wasn’t. He was always too busy with his family or with his military duties to join them.

Galion was nervous. Thranduil had been in unprecedented good spirits for the past month. If the conversation went wrong—and there was a great chance of that happening—everyone would be dealing with Thranduil’s foul mood for the coming months, if not years. Galion noted that Feren didn’t look nervous at all. He assumed that it was Feren’s military training that allowed him to hide it so well.

“I’m very tired. May I be excused?” asked Legolas timidly. Legolas was more nervous than Galion and Feren combined; his entire future rested on Galion and Feren’s success.

“Of course,  _ tithen-las. _ Are you not feeling well? I can send for the healer if you’re not,” answered Thranduil. He noticed that Legolas was shaking and had hardly eaten any dinner.

“I’m just tired, ada. I’ll be fine,” he said as he walked out. Once outside, he was able to take a deep breath to calm himself. This was the most nervous he had ever felt his entire life.

“I should go with him. He’s obviously not feeling well,” said Thranduil to Galion and Feren.

“He told me he’s just feeling tired. You should let him rest. I think you’ve been working him too hard,  _ mellon _ ,” said Feren calmly.

“He said the same to me. He’s exhausted,” added Galion.

Thranduil frowned. Maybe he had been working Legolas too hard. Afterall, Legolas didn’t have as much experience as he did.

“Maybe he just isn’t cut out to run the kingdom. Have you given any more thought to letting him join the patrols?” asked Galion.

“No, I haven’t. And I don’t think it’s a good idea. If he gets tired working with me, imagine out there in the wilderness, fighting for survival. Don’t you agree, Feren?”

“No, I don’t. You both know as well as I do that Legolas loves being outdoors more than anything. It’s no wonder he’s exhausted. He’s meant to be outside, not stuck in a dingy office for the rest of his life.”

Thranduil shot him a look. He knew what they were getting at. “Did he put you up to this? Is that why you’re both here?”

Neither of them responded.

“Your silence speaks volumes. I can’t believe I almost fell for that. I’ll give him one thing: he’s a terrific actor.”

“He wasn’t acting, Thranduil. He’s miserable! He hates helping you run the kingdom! He only does it because it makes you happy. The only thing he wants is to be a patrol guard! Can’t you understand that?” said Galion in an increasingly loud volume.

Thranduil scoffed at the suggestion. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that Legolas was not miserable. “He’s so great at it. I simply don’t see how he could be miserable.”

Galion marvelled at Thranduil’s ability for self-deception. “Thranduil! Be reasonable! Let him join the patrols! It’s the only thing that will make your son happy!” yelled Galion. 

“Think of what you’re asking me to do! You’re asking me to send my only child, the only piece of his mother I have left, out to die a painful death! I’d rather lead the patrols myself and put myself in danger, instead of sending him! Feren, would you send one of your children? Tell me the truth!”

Feren hesitated before responding, “My children are small, Thranduil. It’s not the same.”

“If they were to volunteer for this when they come of age, would you approve? Would you willingly send them to their deaths?”

“I wouldn’t approve. But I know that I can’t control them forever. The time is going to come when they’re grown and have to live their own lives. That time is already here for Legolas! He’s not an elfling anymore!”

Thranduil couldn’t believe his ears. Feren was lying straight to his face! There was no way he’d ever let his children put themselves into such danger! “I can’t believe that you’re both so willing to send my child, my elfling, to his death!”

“Do you have so little faith in him that you’re certain he’ll die?” asked Galion sharply.

Thranduil had no response to that.

“He’s the best fighter in the entire kingdom. You need him out there, keeping our people safe! Imagine the volunteers we’ll get if the Prince is willing to put his life on the line!” exclaimed Feren.

It wasn’t that Thranduil didn’t see the logic in their arguments. Had he been an impartial observer, he would have readily agreed. But fear had such a way of clouding his judgement, especially when it came to Legolas. This was his son that they were talking about. The only child he had. The day Legolas was born, Thranduil promised himself that he’d never let harm come to his wife or his son. He’d already broken that promise once when he let his wife die, but he’d be damned if he was going to break it again. 

“I can’t. I won’t!” he said as he stormed out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Thranduil knocked on Legolas’ door. 

“Come in,” he heard Legolas respond.

He walked in to find Legolas lying in his bed. “How are you feeling,  _ tithen las _ ?”

“I’m just a little tired. I’ll be okay. How was dinner after I left?”

“It was fine. Just conversation amongst old friends, same as always,” he responded with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll leave you to get some rest. Good night, my elfling. I love you,” he added as he planted a kiss on Legolas’ forehead. He thought about all the times he’d tucked Legolas into bed and given him a kiss, almost exactly as he’d just done. The only difference was that Legolas was an adult now.

“Good night, ada. I love you too.” 

Thranduil didn’t know where to go next. He didn’t want to go to his room. Galion would seek him out sooner or later, and he didn’t want to be found. He started walking to the gardens. No one would be there at that time of night; they’d be perfect for anyone who wanted to be alone. The gardens were his favorite part of the entire palace. There was a peace and serenity to the gardens that he couldn’t find anywhere else, but even that wasn't enough to calm his mind. 

He spent the entire night thinking about the past. He and Legolas used to be as close as a father and son could possibly be, but Legolas was coming into his own. Thranduil’s only priority had ever been to keep Legolas safe, while Legolas seemed to intent on getting into as much danger as possible—especially now that he was an adult. This had led to more disagreements between the two than ever before. But the past month had been a magical time for Thranduil. They had been getting along better than they had in years and it was the happiest Thranduil had been in a long time. He was happy to be able to work side by side with his elfling, and knowing Legolas would be safe made it all the better. 

Before he knew it, it was already morning. He would have spent the entire day there if others hadn’t started coming in. He walked to his room and took a bath to wash away the previous night. He knew it was time for breakfast, but he couldn’t bring himself to join Legolas.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Legolas got out of bed as soon as Thranduil left his room. Something had obviously happened during dinner and he wanted to know what. Galion was in his room, getting ready for bed.

“Galion! What happened?”

Galion’s face said it all. The plan hadn’t been successful.

“I’m sorry, Legolas. Give us  more time—”

“Thanks for trying, Galion. I know you did your best. But if you weren’t able to talk sense into him, no one ever will,” he responded as he walked away dejectedly.

Legolas tried to sleep that night, but found it quite impossible. He spent the entire night crying on and off. He decided that he had no other choice but to give up on his dream and hoped that time would lessen the sting of not being able to do what he most desired. The next morning, he found himself eating breakfast alone. It was highly unusual; Thranduil always insisted that they eat their meals together. He felt lucky in a way; there was no guarantee that he would have kept his cool if his father had been there.

“Do you know where he is?” Legolas asked Galion.

“He wasn’t in his room last night or this morning. My guess is he’s in the gardens. That’s where he goes when he needs to be alone.”

  
  


After breakfast, he walked to the study, the place that would be his prison for the foreseeable future. Thranduil walked in about an hour later and sat at his desk without uttering a word. Legolas thought it was strange; first he’d missed breakfast, and now he was late. Legolas knew that few things annoyed Thranduil as much as tardiness. The only reason for it that Legolas could think of was because Thranduil was surely angry at him. Legolas pretended to be busy with his work, though he definitely wasn’t making any progress.

Thranduil studied Legolas as he continued to work diligently. It reminded him of the countless days he’d spent working alongside his father. Galion was right; Legolas looked miserable. It was clear that he hadn’t slept all night, and he looked equal parts annoyed, bored, and frustrated. One thing became clear to him: Legolas was unhappy. That was when he made his decision. He wouldn’t be the cause of his child’s unhappiness, no matter how much it pained him to let go.

Legolas watched as Thranduil began applying his seal of approval—the seal Legolas knew he’d never receive—to the parchments sitting on his desk. Legolas knew they were the new petitions for the patrol volunteers. He watched as Thranduil then began scribbling away at a piece of parchment and applied the seal to that one as well.

“Legolas. I don’t feel well today. Do you mind going through these to make sure everything is in order? I’ll be in my room if you need me,” he said as he handed the stack to Legolas.

“Sure,” he answered bitterly. It was the same stack of petitions Thranduil had just gone through. “It’s like he wants to rub it in my face!” thought Legolas. Legolas did as he was ordered and looked through every single petition. He knew most of the volunteers and there was not a single one more qualified than he was. He was close to throwing the whole stack into the fireplace when he got to the last one. He recognized the writing; it was his father’s impossibly elegant script, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. What did catch his attention was the name on it; it read “Legolas Thranduilion”. Tears began welling in his eyes as he began reading it, and by the time he was finished, he was bawling his eyes out. 

It was almost exactly the same as the petition he’d put forward months ago except for three crucial differences. Under “weapon of choice”, instead of putting “bow and arrow”, he had written “bow and arrow, dual knives, longsword, or any other weapon in existence”. Thranduil had also added “The most skilled and loyal soldier in the Woodland Realm,” at the bottom of the parchment. Third, and most important of all, this version of the petition already had Thranduil’s seal of approval. 

Legolas ran to Thranduil’s room and entered without knocking. Legolas saw Thranduil was standing talking to Galion, but wasn’t the least bit curious as to what they were talking about. Legolas jumped up to hug Thranduil, knocking himself and his father down. “You’re getting too old to keep doing this, my little leaf!” exclaimed Thranduil. 

Thranduil did a good job of hiding the grief that his decision was causing him; he’d be surprised if Legolas or Galion noticed. The three of them spent the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company. They all knew that these days were numbered, and they intended to make the most of the days they had left.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Two weeks later, Legolas woke up extra early. He was set to leave on patrol that morning, his first ever. The patrol would be gone two weeks and he looked forward to every minute of it. His father was quiet all throughout breakfast. Legolas didn’t blame him. He knew that it was a great sacrifice for Thranduil to allow him this, and he loved him all the more for it.

Thranduil and Galion accompanied Legolas to see him off. Thranduil had spent the last two weeks devising Legolas’ schedule, ensuring that Feren would be there right alongside him. It was some comfort knowing that Feren would be with him; he knew that Feren loved Legolas like his own son and would do anything to protect him. It took every fiber of Thranduil’s strength to keep himself from crying. He needed to keep it together for Legolas’ sake. Galion, who had nowhere near the amount of control over his emotions that Thranduil had, was already sobbing openly.

“Feren, take care of my elfling. Please,” said Thranduil as a single tear escaped his eye.

“He’s not an elfling, Thranduil. And knowing him, he’ll be the one keeping us safe.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. He’s always going to be my elfling,” he said just before the guards departed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Any comments, suggestions, and constructive critcisms are welcome! Feel free to let me know what you think! :)


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